2018 Formula Challenge season
| |
| Competition | Formula Challenge |
|---|---|
| Title Sponsor | N/A |
| Platform Used |  rFactor 2
|
| Rounds | 18 |
| Mod Used | GPVWC CL modular |
| Carshape | GP3-inspired |
| Engine Supplier(s) | GPVWC 3500cc NA V6 |
| Tyre Supplier(s) | GPVWC brand G |
| Drivers | 97 |
| Teams | 17 |
| Drivers' Champion |  Chris Butcher
|
| Teams' Champion | Red Arrow Racing
|
| Formula Challenge Seasons | |
| 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019· 2020 · 2021 | |
| GPVWC series in 2018 |
|---|
| Career Ladder |
|
Superleague |
| Independent Series |
The 2018 Formula Challenge season was the 7th GPVWC Formula Challenge season. Englishman Chris Butcher won the the Drivers' Championship while his team, Red Arrow Racing, run by former Superleague champion David Fidock, wrapped up the Teams' Championship.
Butcher won by 23 points from fellow countryman Chris Shepherd, who actually scored more wins than Butcher; nine to Butcher's seven. Though over 150 points behind, third in the championship was Butcher's Swiss teammate David Jundt; together, they secured a dominant win for Red Arrow Racing in the team's championship; 246 points ahead of Shepherd's STAX Racing in second place. STAX were 95 points ahead of third-placed Cenobite Motorsports, the latter competing in their first season in the Career Ladder. Despite missing out on the title, STAX was given the best livery award, which was a double honour for owner Christian Zoerner, as he was the one who painted the cars, and many others beside.
2018 was to mark the end of an era that had run since 2013, in which Formula Challenge acted as the third-tier of the Career Ladder while following the rest of the Career Ladder's calendar explicitly. While the latter was still somewhat true, from 2019 Formula Challenge was instead run in the week before the main Career Ladder events, and furthermore essentially became the fourth-tier, with the creation of the tentatively-called "Superleague-2" championship. The new championship created a tremendous shift in the Career Ladder makeup and most Formula Challenge teams from 2018 were promoted either to Supercup, or especially the new championship, for 2019. Only three teams from the end of the 2018 season stayed on for 2019, including the quasi-institutional GPVWC Academy team.
Contents
Teams and drivers
Team changes
- Scuderia Basilea, Bastvik Grand Prix, Holland Racing Team, THUnderdog and YTF1 were all promoted to Supercup.
- Arrow International Racing, EJ Engineering and The Mighty Forth did not continue into 2018.
- MDR Motorsports renamed themselves following the 2017 season, becoming Mayor Downard Racing Team.
Mid-Season Changes
- 1Drillers Motorsport merged with Torrent Motorsports during the season and was entered as Torrent Motorsports from the Monaco round onward. This marked Torrent's return to Formula Challenge after a 5-year absence.
- 2Idos Motorsport became Schubert Motorsport Simracing from the Monaco round onward but would revert back to being Idos Motorsport by the end of the year. Unlike Drillers and Torrent, who were classified as two separate teams in the championship, Idos/Schubert kept the same points throughout.
New entries
- Apex Motorsport raced in the series for the first time following an abortive entry in 2017.
- Cenobite Motorsports, CM-Tech Racing, Drillers Motorsport, Idos Motorsport, McKinlay Engineering, Shift Gear Racing and WSL Racing Team all entered for the first time in 2018.
Technical changes
- Drag Reduction System (DRS) was introduced to Formula Challenge for the first time in 2018.
2018 Calendar
| Round | Race Title | Grand Prix | Circuit | Conditions | Date | Start Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track time | GMT | BST | ||||||
| 1 | Australian Grand Prix | Australian GP |  Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne
|
TBC | 27th February 2018 | TBC | 19:00 | —
|
| 2 | Chinese Grand Prix | Chinese GP |  Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai
|
TBC | 13th March 2018 | TBC | 19:00 | —
|
| 3 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Azerbaijan GP |  Baku City Circuit, Baku
|
TBC | 27th March 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 4 | Spanish Grand Prix | Spanish GP |  Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
|
TBC | 10th Arpil 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 5 | Monaco Grand Prix | Monaco GP |  Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
|
TBC | 24th April 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 6 | Canadian Grand Prix | Canadian GP |  Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
|
TBC | 8th May 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 7 | French Grand Prix | French GP |  Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet
|
TBC | 22nd May 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 8 | Austrian Grand Prix | Austrian GP |  Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
|
TBC | 5th June 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 9 | British Grand Prix | British GP |  Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire
|
TBC | 19th June 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 10 | German Grand Prix | German GP |  Hockenheimring, Hockenheim
|
TBC | 3rd July 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 11 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungarian GP |  Hungaroring, Budapest
|
TBC | 31st July 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 12 | Belgian Grand Prix | Belgian GP |  Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa
|
TBC | 14th August 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 13 | Italian Grand Prix | Italian GP |  Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza
|
TBC | 28th August 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 14 | Singapore Grand Prix | Singapore GP |  Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
|
TBC | 11th September 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 15 | Japanese Grand Prix | Japanese GP |  Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka
|
TBC | 25th September 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 16 | United States Grand Prix | United States GP |  Circuit of the Americas, Austin
|
TBC | 9th October 2018 | TBC | 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 17 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Brazilian GP |  Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo
|
TBC | 23rd October 2018 | TBC | 19:00 | —
|
| 18 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Abu Dhabi GP |  Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island
|
TBC | 6th November 2018 | TBC | 19:00 | —
|
Testing
The 2018 testing schedule was as follows:
| Test | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Preseason Test | 20th February 2018 |  Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City
|
Calendar changes
- The Russian Grand Prix and Mexican Grand Prix were removed from the calendar.
- The location of the Spanish Grand Prix changed from the Valencia Street Circuit to the Circuit de Catalunya, Catalunya hosting the race again after swapping with Valencia in 2017.
- The location of the German Grand Prix likewise changed back from the Nurburgring to the Hockenheimring.
- The French Grand Prix returned to the calendar after a four-year absence, with the Circuit Paul Ricard hosting the event for the first time in 2018.
- The Azerbaijan Grand Prix would be contested for the first time in 2018.
| Preceded by: 2017 Formula Challenge season |
GPVWC Formula Challenge season 2018 |
Succeeded by: 2019 Formula Challenge season |
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